When it comes to smart TVs, each manufacturer has a system of their own in order to help differentiate themselves from the competition, much like how Android has many manufacturers who are differentiated through hardware and software features and UI tweaks. However unlike Android, smart TVs do not run on a unified platform which is what Philips and LG are hoping to accomplish one day. Both companies have activated their Smart TV Alliance today and are working towards the goal of creating apps that will work across multiple television sets made by different manufacturers.
The goal here is to create apps that will work across the board, rather than having developers port apps and having to tweak them due to different software/hardware. They have also announced that other television manufacturers are in the process of joining their alliance. However given that we’ve seen many of these alliances come together with good intentions but eventually falling apart, we sure hope that this one will be able to stick together. After all just like buying smartphones and tablets, it is possible that buying smart TVs in the future could also largely depend on how many apps there are and what type of apps are available.